People in Bengaluru, a big city in India, are fighting about signs. Some people want signs in English, but others want them in the local language, Kannada. A group called KRV is very upset and took down English signs. They want a new rule that says most of the sign has to be in Kannada. Some people agree with KRV, but others do not like the fighting.
The KRV group says that the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru. They think that because many people from other places are moving to the city, the local people and their language might not be as important. The KRV wants signs to be in Kannada first. They have fought about this before with other languages in India.
A big business group in Bengaluru says that changing the signs to Kannada won't hurt the city's work. They want businesses to use more Kannada on their signs. They have until the end of February to do this. The KRV says that if other countries can have signs in their languages, then Kannada should be on signs in Karnataka, where many people speak it.
Original news source: Bengaluru: Why English is dividing people in India's Silicon Valley (BBC)
π§ Listen:
π Vocabulary:
Group or Classroom Activities
Warm-up Activities:
– News Summary
Instructions: In pairs or small groups, students will read the article and summarize the main points in their own words. They can then share their summaries with the class.
– Vocabulary Pictionary
Instructions: Divide the class into teams. Give each team a set of vocabulary words from the article. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and draw a picture to represent one of the words. The rest of the team must guess the word based on the drawing.
– Opinion Spectrum
Instructions: Create a line in the classroom and label one end "Agree" and the other end "Disagree". Read out statements related to the article (e.g. "Signs should be in the local language") and ask students to stand at the point on the line that represents their opinion. Give them a chance to explain their position to the class.
– Charades
Instructions: Write down key words or phrases from the article on small pieces of paper. Divide the class into two teams. One person from each team will come to the front of the class and act out the word or phrase without speaking. The rest of their team must guess what it is.
– Future Predictions
Instructions: In pairs, students will discuss and make predictions about what they think will happen in Bengaluru regarding the language of signs. They should use the future tense and give reasons for their predictions. After discussing, they can share their predictions with the class.
π€ Comprehension Questions:
People in Bengaluru are fighting about signs because some people want the signs to be in English, while others want them to be in the local language, Kannada.
Some people want the signs to be in Kannada.
The group KRV took down the English signs.
The KRV group wants a new rule about signs because they think that the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru.
The KRV group thinks the Kannada language is not being used enough in Bengaluru because many people from other places are moving to the city, and they think that the local people and their language might not be as important anymore.
The big business group in Bengaluru wants businesses to use more Kannada on their signs.
The KRV group thinks Kannada should be on signs in Karnataka because they believe that if other countries can have signs in their languages, then Kannada should also be on signs in the state where many people speak it.
π§βοΈ Listen and Fill in the Gaps:
People in Bengaluru, a big city in India, are fighting about signs. Some people want signs in , but others want them in the language, Kannada. A group called KRV is very upset and took down English signs. They want a new rule that most of the sign has to be in Kannada. Some people agree with KRV, but others do not like the . The KRV group says that the Kannada is not being enough in Bengaluru. They think that because many people from other places are moving to the city, the local people and their language might not be as important. The KRV wants to be in first. They have fought about this before with other languages in India. A big group in Bengaluru says that changing the signs to Kannada won't hurt the city's work. They want to use more Kannada on their signs. They have until the end of February to do this. The KRV says that if other countries can have signs in their , then Kannada should be on signs in Karnataka, where many people it.
π¬ Discussion Questions:
1. What is the KRV group upset about?
2. How do you think the people who want signs in English feel about the situation?
3. Do you think it's important for signs to be in the local language? Why or why not?
4. How would you feel if signs in your city were changed to a different language?
5. Do you like seeing signs in different languages when you visit other countries? Why or why not?
6. What do you think the big business group wants to happen with the signs?
7. Do you think changing the signs to Kannada will affect the city's work? Why or why not?
8. How do you think the people from other places who moved to Bengaluru feel about the sign issue?
9. What is the KRV group's argument for having signs in Kannada?
10. Do you think it's fair for the KRV group to take down English signs? Why or why not?
11. How do you think the city can make sure both English and Kannada are represented on signs?
12. Do you think it's important to preserve and promote local languages? Why or why not?
Individual Activities
ππ Vocabulary Meanings:
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Words
Meanings
π‘ Multiple Choice Questions:
π΅οΈ True or False Questions:
π Write a Summary:
Write a summary of this news article in two sentences.
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